When Willie Comes Marching Home Page #3

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You can't be spared,

and that's final.

Yes, sir.

- However-

- Yes, sir?

I've put you in for sergeant, and I'm

recommending you for the Good Conduct Medal.

Thank you, sir.

After that, things really got rugged.

They all but threw rocks

at me in town.

Not that teaching didn't have

a couple of thrills now and then.

Get Kluggsie outta there!

Hey, Kluggsie! Kluggsie!

Get him in the jeep!

Get him outta here.

Come on, buddy!

- Come on! Come on!

- Hurry up! Hurry up!

Well, we walked away from that one.

Well, you can't kill a goldbricker, I always say.

And if I don't get shipped to combat overseas,

sir, there's no telling what l-

What's the matter with you,

Kluggs? Gone yellow?

Yellow? Sir, I said

I wanted to go to war!

You wanna get a soft berth overseas so you

can pick up a lot of ribbons and tin!

- Major, sir, I wanna fight!

- Get your hands off that desk!

Don't spill that around here.

I've been in this man's army too long.

You're one of those smart guys who knows only

10% of enlisted personnel ever face the enemy.

What's wrong?

Things too tough here at Loring?

Afraid to fly with these kids

just because it's dangerous work?

- Sir, you just don't understand.

- I understand, all right!

Now, look, Kluggs,

knock off the bellyaching.

You're a good man, and I need you.

Just attend to your job

and don't give me any of this hero stuff.

Yes, sir.

Oh, Kluggs.

Yes, sir?

If it'll make you feel any better,

you're in for master sergeant.

Thank you, sir.

Yep. Same old story.

It got so I had the Good Conduct Medal

with oak leaf clusters.

Hi, Pop.

- You here again?

- What do you mean by that crack?

So you can't talk them

into sending you overseas.

But do you have to hang around here

all the time where people can see ya?

- But this is his home. He lives here.

- You're telling me?

What do you want me to do,

write a letter to the secretary of war?

I sure didn't have any trouble getting over

to Chteau-Thierry back in 1918!

Right. They shipped your father

over three months after he was drafted.

Gertrude.

They're coming home.

Marge!

Now what's the matter?

- She got a telegram.

- Bad news?

- Charley. He's coming home from the Pacific.

Furlough.

He's arriving this afternoon.

- That's great! That's wonderful!

- Then what's she crying about?

- Because Charley can only stay a week.

He's lucky at that. Lots of guys

don't get furloughs. Others don't get a week.

And others are home all the time.

Oh, l- I didn't mean you, Bill.

Uh, Marjorie's in the kitchen.

Well, about 4:
00.

We're giving a big do for Charley

tomorrow night at the canteen.

Oh, I want you

to be sure to be there.

You will? That's fine.

Thanks a lot.

Isn't it wonderful about Charley?

He'll be here this afternoon.

- I heard. That's wonderful.

- Do you realize he shot down 14 Jap pilots-

Hello?

Hello, Myrtle?

Myrtle, this is Marge.

Guess what.

Oh, you already know.

Genevieve told you, huh?

You'll be there, won't you? That's fine. Bye.

- I gotta get back on the field.

- All right, darling. I'll see you tomorrow night.

- I don't think so.

- Oh, darn it-

- You don't think so what?

- I won't be there.

Well, but, darling,

it's for Charley.

- I know, but-

- Don't you wanna see him?

Sure I wanna see him. Can't I see him here?

Does it have to be at the canteen?

Oh, Bill.

Don't do that to yourself.

People are giving me those sidewise glances.

I've been around too long.

- I better get lost.

- Bill.

- Can you get a pass?

- Yeah.

Then you'll be there. It's not your fault

you're stationed in Punxatawney.

You're a soldier,

and you've got to obey orders.

- You don't understand-

- You've done a wonderful job,

and a dangerous one too.

We've had more forced landings and crashes at

Loring Field than Charley ever had in his Hellcat.

Bill, you just got

no right to be ashamed.

And I won't have you

slinking out of here like this.

Okay.

I'll be there.

- Go on with the story about Tarawa.

- That was a pretty rugged beach.

- They put up a fight, huh?

- We flew 14 hours.

- Fourteen hours you flew?

- Takeoff. Flight. Land.

Maybe a little jamoke.

And was the weather dirty.

That's the way it was

at the Argonne.

Slogging along, rain and mush,

heinie snipers throwing lead!

- It got so even the Nip infantry was shooting-

- The Nip infantry?

- Bill!

- Charley Fettles, the giant killer!

Hey, Bill! How's about it, boy?

Holy smoke, am I glad to see you!

- You're looking great, Lieutenant.

- You too!

I sure thought a lot about you, but I never

expected to see you till it was all over.

- You on leave too?

- Well, no, not exactly.

When'd you get back?

Well, the truth is-This'll hand you a laugh-

I haven't been anywhere.

- I got stationed here at Loring

Field teaching aerial gunnery.

- Well, that's how it goes.

I'd rather fight dawn patrol in an F-6

than fool around with a bunch of rookies.

- Pretty dangerous stuff.

- Yeah, well, all in a day's work.

- Go on. You were telling us.

- Well, I wouldn't like to three-sheet, Mr. Kluggs.

Go on, go on!

What happened?

On the second day, I was burning up

the 50-calibers when some Nip starts ricocheting-

Know just what you mean. A bullet ricocheted

off my helmet at Chteau-Thierry.

- I'll show you the dent sometime.

- I couldn't get my wheels-

Same thing happened to me. Hydraulic system

went out. Crash landing on the belly-

Son, please. We're talking about combat.

Go ahead, Charley.

- Then the motor conked out.

- Here's your ice cream, Charley.

Thank you, ma'am. So I came down

on the beach and belly-whopped.

I was gonna ditch it,

but it seemed better in the sand.

Couple of marines hauled me out. One hour later

I was flying a new Hellcat, strafing all over.

Hey, Bill-

Tell us about Truk.

- Truk was the same as Tarawa,

only the chow wasn't so good.

- Know exactly!

Pardon me.

I'm sorry.

- Hey, who's that?

- That's Bill Kluggs.

- Is that drip still around?

- He must live here!

- He'll be here forever.

Well, soldier-

At ease, at ease, for heaven's sake.

- Oh, it's you, Kluggs!

- Yes, sir.

There's nothing wrong,

is there, Sergeant?

I've had trouble enough for one day,

and it's still early.

To tell you the truth, Colonel Butterworth,

something is very wrong.

I hate to bother you with it, but it's urgent.

It's absolutely essential.

- The fact is, sir, I'd like to be transferred.

- Huh! So would I.

But I've been here two years. I've gotta get

into the fight. I've gotta get overseas.

- Is it my fault that I've

been stationed in my hometown?

- Mmm, sorry, Kluggs. No dice.

However,

I'll tell you what I'll do.

- I'll recommend you for the Good-

Hello.

Send them in.

Well?

Is he all right?

- No, sir. Acute appendicitis.

- Emergency surgery, sir.

- Oh, no!

- Sorry, sir.

- That fortress is 20 minutes

behind their squadron now.

- Twenty-five!

They can't go into a combat zone without

a full complement, without a belly gunner.

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